I get a full day pretty easily on my EVO. I have some long commutes so I plug it in when I'm driving obviously, but I get 14 hours pretty easy and will still have about 20% left. That may not sound like a lot but I am pretty data intensive throughout the workday and I am on the phone for at least an hour and a half each day, if not more. I get push notifications for gmail and 2 other email accounts during the day and I run stock everything. This includes a few hours of screen time and an hour or so of games (Beach Buggy Blitz and Pitfall currently). And this is my launch-day device. I plug in every night and start the day at 100%, every single day.
And I get what you're saying about the Note 2. If you can swap batteries it's great if you need to. The option is nice to have. But if you can't swap batteries there are still plenty of options available that aren't much more intrusive and have some added benefits. People who pretend that having a non-removable battery makes the phone a pos are misguided at best. It can present, but doesn't guarantee, some challenges that are easily overcome. It's a preference, to be sure, but pretending like it's the end of the world and the downfall of a corporation is disingenuous. Again, when Samsung does it, and LG and Sony and Moto too, it will be interesting to see what all the battery Nazi's have to say then. I'm more concerned with the lack of removable storage that seems to be the way of the future than I am about the battery.